purists
By-the-book types
Purists insist on traditional or original forms, rejecting innovations or compromises.
A language purist objects to new words or usages; a musical purist prefers acoustic instruments; a culinary purist won't add ketchup to a hot dog.
The term often carries a hint of inflexibility: Purists will hate it, but I like the remix better than the original.
Accuracy of measurement
- exactnessCorrectness in every detail
- meticulousnessExtreme carefulness in details
- strictnessInflexibility in enforcement
- accuracyDegree of correctness
perfectionism · thoroughness · stringency · punctiliousness · stickler · pedantry · nitpicking · fastidiousness
Inherited cultural legacy
- preservationMaintaining something's condition
- authenticityQuality of being genuine
- originalismInterpreting by founding-era meaning
- classicismAdherence to ancient artistic principles
conservatism · ancestral · time-honored · established · old-school · preservationist · guardians · gatekeepers
Aesthetic of reduction
- eleganceRefined, graceful quality
- simplicityLack of complexity
- refinementElegance of manner
- sophisticationCultured elegance and complexity
understated · timeless · classic · cleanliness · unadorned · restraint · taste · discernment
Adherence to accepted beliefs
- dogmaUnchallengeable official beliefs
- canonAccepted authoritative works
- creedStatement of belief
- fundamentalismStrict adherence to core tenets
literalism · originalism · textualism · absolutism · ideology · scripture · interpretation · authenticity
precision
Accuracy of measurement
- exactnessCorrectness in every detail
- meticulousnessExtreme carefulness in details
- strictnessInflexibility in enforcement
accuracy · perfectionism · thoroughness · stringency · punctiliousness · stickler · pedantry · nitpicking · fastidiousness · exacting
heritage
Inherited cultural legacy
- preservationMaintaining something's condition
- authenticityQuality of being genuine
- originalismInterpreting by founding-era meaning
classicism · conservatism · ancestral · time-honored · established · old-school · preservationist · guardians · gatekeepers · custodians
minimalism
Aesthetic of reduction
- eleganceRefined, graceful quality
- simplicityLack of complexity
- refinementElegance of manner
sophistication · understated · timeless · classic · cleanliness · unadorned · restraint · taste · discernment · connoisseur
orthodoxy
Adherence to accepted beliefs
fundamentalism · literalism · originalism · textualism · absolutism · ideology · scripture · interpretation · authenticity · correctness
- Language ShapersNoah Webster, simplifiers, orthographers, Sequoyah, lexicographers
- fundamentalistsfundamentalists, true believers, zealots, literalists, dogmatists
- jazz fanstraditionalists
- fly fishers
- audiencesviewers, listeners, spectators, watchers, live audience
- devoteesdevotee, devotees, adherent, adherents, follower
puristsinnovators
Creators of novel things
reformers · modernizers · progressives · experimenters · revolutionaries
puristspragmatists
Those valuing practical results
relativists · moderates · compromisers · dilettantes · free spirits
puristshybridizers
Those who interbreed varieties
mixers · adaptors · popularizers · bastardizers · blenders
- linguistic purismResistance to language change